Delemessora
Delemessora is the second largest island in the Chanor archipelago, and the third most populous. It is part of the Chanor Empire. Often regarded as the ancestral homeland of all halflings, this island is dominated by the ‘friendly folk’. With an amenable, if damp, climate, its chief exports are arable farming products and beer. With an agrarian and scattered population, there are many hamlets and villages but few major population centres. Market towns are are seldom larger than two or three thousand. The de-facto capital is Rushlin – a cheery port city popular among sailors and merchants for the sweet, malty aroma of it’s many breweries. Known as ‘Chanor’s Breadbasket’, halfling farmers supply regular shipments of grain and other foodstuffs to other areas of Chanor. In return, Delemessora is kept safe by Chanor’s military, with signifcant garrisons of Chanorian troops throughought the island, and a division of 3,000 based in Rushlin (many of the humans in Delemessora are soldiers, for whom it is a popular and sought-after posting, usually given to experienced soldiers with a history of honourable conduct). Few parts of Kalla feel as safe and homely as Delemessora – as long as the grain flows. The ‘Rushlin barge’, a huge ocean-going class of vessel designed by gnome engineers and wizards, is built in the gnome-run shipyard of Rushlin and used to transport crops to other parts of Chanor, most notably Chanor itself. Carefully moderated cold magic is used to refrigerate produce for the long, slow journey. Few natural hostile forces exist on Delemessora, the island having been thoroughly conquered by Chanorian troops. Wood elves are thought to live in the scattered forests and woods (most notably The Purplewood at the heart of the island, a place of ill-omen usually shunned by halflings), and stubborn populations of wolves dwell in the north. In the eastern swamplands, unsuitable for agriculture, it is believed that a small population of Kuo-Toa dwell, and drunken fables of frog-folk persist. Pirates or other raiders from outside the island have occasionally caused problems, but the settlements of Delemessora are not rich in plunder, nor do halflings make good slaves. Retribution from the powerful Chanorian army and navy is swift, which itself proves a significant deterrent. Minorities of dwarves can be found, as through much of the civilised world, typically in smithing trades. Small communities of gnomes are usually settled in market towns, often in business developing innovative farming tools. Humans who are not in the military are often retired soliders who live out their pension in these pleasant surroundings; others are settled as agents of trade, Imperial civil servants or running small businesses (in particular weaving and tailoring). Geography A large island of rolling plains, Delemessora is the least geologically active, and most broadly habitable, island of the Chanor archipelago. The climate is largely temperate, moving to subtropical in the south. Rain is frequent, thanks to prevailing south-easterly winds. Much of the land is given over to agriculture, though in the wilder lands to the north, heathland and moors (and a drier climate) are less apt to sustain population. Scattered, managed forests and woods exist across the island, with a large wild and ancient forest (known as the Purplewood) in the centre of the island. The highest hills and significant springs within the Purplewood make the forest the source of all of Delemessora's significant waterways. To the south west lies a significant area of marsh and swampland, with mangrove forest in the far southern tip. Economy Agriculture dominates the Delemessoran economy, with brewing a distant (but still significant) second place. Thanks to the stable climate and politics, largely under the protection of the Chanorian military, Delemessora is able to provide plentiful food (with surplus besides) for the civilised Chanor archipelago, especially Chanor itself, whose population far outstrips its native agricultural potential. Poverty is rare in Delemessora as halflings will seldom see a fellow halfling go cold or hungry, and even the least talented or motivated will find some form of gainful employment. Administration The island is separated into twelve counties of varying sizes. Each county elects a council every four years with two representatives from each class (one for the warrior class), plus an additional representative from the farming class elected as County Legate, who holds a casting vote in any debate. In eight of the twelve counties, an 'outlander' representive is also elected, to represent non-halfling races. The County Legates form a governing parliament in Rushlin, with casting decisions held by the Rushlin Legate. The authority of the Delemessora Parliament is overseen, and can be overruled by the Chief Imperial Delegate of Chanor (though in practice this is rare). Class and culture in Delemessora Halfling culture exists in its purest form in Delemessora, including a well-regimented class system (not typical among halflings elsewhere in Kalla). The farming (and governing) class, the artisan class (including, but not limited to, brewers and hop cutters), the small trading class, the labouring class (the most common), the tiny, but haughty, warrior class (who still pass on martial training and weaponry from generation to generation, but also frequently cleave to academia and magic) and the Unclean, who deal in funerals and manage sewage. This class also handles the vital work of distributing manure. Some historians claim that the incipient and informal class system was exploited and made more rigid by agents of Chanor during the process of incorporating Delemessora into the Chanor Empire, displacing the warrior class as traditional rulers and heavily favouring farmers and landowners, placing them in senior law-making and administrative positions to turn an independent ally into a pliant vassal state and guarantee a reliable supply of food to Chanor, which was already growing beyond self-sustenance and had experienced periods of famine. Proponents of this view point to the lack of rigid class systems in distant populations of halflings, most notably those of Zaad whose migration is thought to have dated back around five hundred years. However, most halflings are happy with their lot in their place. The few who chafe against it tend to emigrate - either eloping with a partner of another class (intermarriage being social taboo) while some (particularly from the Unclean) gain employment with outlanders, such as in the gnomish shipyard at Rushlin (gnomes in particular finding the Delemessora class system baffling). Demographics Of a population of roughly 350,000, around 330,000 are halflings. There are some 12,000 humans (roughly half of whom are garrisoned on active military service), a few thousand gnomes and dwarves plus a small population of seldom-seen wood elves in the Purplewood. Rushlin is by far the largest (and most diverse) settlement, with a population of around 38,000.